UN Chief Voices Concern Over Ban on Protests in Bahrain

New York, Nov 1 2012 8:10PM United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed concern over
restrictions Bahraini authorities have imposed on public
demonstrations and other public gatherings.

“The
Secretary-General believes these restrictions could
aggravate the situation in the country and urges the
Government of Bahrain to lift them without delay,” Mr.
Ban’s spokesperson said in a news http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6395">statement.

Mr.
Ban also called on protesters to “ensure that any
demonstrations are, in fact, peaceful,” the spokesperson
added, noting that “recent violence that reportedly killed
two police officers is unacceptable.”

According to media
reports, the Government declared the restrictions on 30
October amidst clashes in recent weeks between
anti-government protesters and police. In addition, a senior
interior ministry official reportedly said that “repeated
abuse” of the rights of freedom of expression could no
longer be tolerated.

Mr. Ban reiterated his appeal to the
Bahraini authorities to “abide fully by international
human rights standards, including respect for freedom of
expression and peaceful assembly and association,” the
Secretary-General’s spokesperson said.

The
Secretary-General “reaffirms his belief that there needs
to be an all inclusive and meaningful national dialogue that
addresses the legitimate aspirations of all Bahrainis, as
this is the only way towards greater stability and
prosperity for all Bahrainis,” the spokesperson
noted.

He added that Mr. Ban also called on the Bahraini
Government to “complete the full implementation” of
recommendations contained in the Bahrain Independent
Commission of Inquiry, which the King of Bahrain established
in June 2011 to investigate incidents that occurred during
unrest in the small-island Middle Eastern state that
year.

The Commission found that Government forces had used
excessive force during the protests in February and March
2011, which left at least 35 people dead, including five
police officers, reports said. The Commission also found
that the Government had tortured some detainees, according
to the reports.

The Commission’s 17 recommendations
included the creation of independent bodies to investigate
claims of human rights violations, the review of convictions
and sentences of individuals detained during the unrest, and
the avoidance of detention without prompt access to lawyers
and without access to the outside world, with all cases of
detention subject to effective monitoring by an independent
body.Nov 1 2012
8:10PM

With a bit of luck the planet won’t be devastated by nuclear war in the next few days. US President Donald Trump will have begun to fixate on some other way to gratify his self-esteem – maybe by invading Venezuela or starting a war with Iran. More>>

ACLU: Step by step, point by point, the court laid out what has been clear from the start: The president promised to ban Muslims from the United States, and his executive orders are an attempt to do just that. More>>